South African grapefruit exporters are gearing up for their new season in Japan, with plans to ship 4.6m cartons.

As Japan’s grapefruit stocks are lower than normal, Scott Cummings of major importer Goldspan predicts a decent start to the deal. "We expect a firm, but not hot market, as stock levels should have fallen to between 400,000 and 800,000 cartons by the time the first shipments arrive on 1 June," he said. "Price levels on Florida grapefruit have averaged ¥2,000-2,600 per carton recently and we expect sales of RSA grapefruit to open at around this level."

Export coordinator Chris Chance said the Japanese trade can expect the best shipping supply programme it has seen from South Africa. "We have industry-wide cooperation for ship scheduling to allow us to have fresh arrivals all the time," he noted.